And so, another week passed, and Lin Xi brought Huo Yutong to the outskirts.
Once they reached a deserted spot, Lin Xi shouted:
"I know you're following us. Come on out!"
An arrow answered him, flying at an extraordinary speed. One glance was enough to tell it was the product of a Martial Soul.
Just as the arrow was about to strike Lin Xi, a gust of sword wind swept past, blowing it far away. It disintegrated in midair and shattered into fragments on the ground.
At some point, Artoria had already moved in front of Lin Xi to shield him.
"Hahaha, interesting. Impressive indeed."
Seeing that their sneak attack had failed, several young men followed a middle-aged man out from behind the trees.
Among them, the young man Lin Xi had beaten up half a month ago spoke fawningly to the middle-aged man:
"Mr. Li, he's the brat I told you about. That blonde bitch is his summon."
"Not bad at all." Mr. Li narrowed his eyes and nodded. "All right, once this is done, I'll look out for you a little more."
"Thank you, Mr. Li!"
Overjoyed, the young man smiled as he stepped behind Mr. Li, looking smugly at Lin Xi and Huo Yutong.
Ever since his defeat half a month ago, he had been searching for a suitable backer to help him take revenge.
For people who ran in their circles, face mattered most. Lately, the news that he had lost to a little brat who had only recently awakened his Martial Soul had nearly spread throughout Star Luo City, severely undermining his credibility in those circles.
Though his teeth itched with hatred, he was no fool. After his rash fervor subsided and he reviewed the entire fight, he had to admit that the little brat was far stronger than he was.
In that case, he could not bring someone roughly as strong as himself. It had to be someone far stronger.
For that reason, he had spent half a month finding the right candidate.
Mr. Li, a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, had supposedly once come close to joining a major local sect.
He had chosen Mr. Li not only for his strength, but also because he had heard that Mr. Li was exceedingly lustful. And sure enough, as long as the brat's summon was as beautiful as he claimed, not only would he have to pay nothing, he could even reap some benefits.
The brat was finished now. From his observations, that blonde woman was only at the Soul Elder level. She could never win against a Soul Ancestor!
Mr. Li smiled, stepped forward, and said:
"Young friend, I've heard everything. Xiao Wang was indeed the one who started this, so you weren't wrong to strike."
Lin Xi raised an eyebrow at that.
"But?"
"But you went too far." Mr. Li sighed helplessly and earnestly counseled him, "Young friend, you might not understand, but face matters most to people in our circles. After what you did, Xiao Wang can barely keep his footing among us anymore. How can that be acceptable?"
"How is that my fucking problem?" Lin Xi said coldly. "He was bullying someone first. What's wrong with me giving him a beating?"
"That's why I'm telling you that isn't the issue." Mr. Li shook his head helplessly, as though Lin Xi were merely a child throwing an unreasonable tantrum. "How about this? Just apologize to Xiao Wang, and we'll let the matter rest. What do you say?"
Lin Xi laughed. "Apologize? Me, to him?"
"Yes." Mr. Li nodded with a perfectly composed expression. "Young friend, you should understand that this is already a considerable concession."
"...Heh. I'd been worrying about who he'd bring after half a month, but it looks like I worried for nothing. In the end, a little thug can only bring an old thug." Lin Xi loosened up his body, took a deep breath, and crooked a finger at them. "Don't waste time. Come at me together."
He understood now. This old bastard had never intended to talk things over properly. From the start, he had only wanted to find some flimsy excuse to fight.
Then there was nothing left to discuss. They might as well get straight to the point.
"Very well. As you wish."
Mr. Li smiled and nodded. The next second, a tiger's roar rang out. His body abruptly swelled, tiger stripes appeared across him, and a large Wang character rose on his forehead. Four Soul Rings-one white, two yellow, and one purple-pulsed around him.
The four young men behind him also revealed their Martial Souls: a black snake, a bow and arrow, a wind wolf, and a chopping saber. They were all Soul Grandmasters.
Then, apart from the bow wielder, they all lunged forward.
Lin Xi said quietly:
"Artoria, draw that Mr. Li away."
"Yes."
Artoria nodded and moved to meet them.
The gap in strength revealed itself the instant the two sides clashed.
After narrowly evading a blow from Mr. Li, Artoria merely swung her sword casually, carving a massive wound into the thug with the wind wolf Martial Soul and sending him to the ground.
Then her figure flashed. She calmly caught the incoming chopping blade and, in passing, kicked the thug with the black snake Martial Soul away.
Invisible Air. Though many people forgot about it when discussing Artoria, it was also her Noble Phantasm!
The power of the invisible sword it created had already been displayed to the fullest in that brief exchange. The thugs could not gauge her sword's position at all.
Combined with swordsmanship that had reached the realm of the divine, these Soul Grandmasters could not last a single exchange against Artoria.
"Tch, a bunch of useless trash!" Mr. Li had clearly noticed this too, and shouted, "Leave this woman to me! Go deal with that brat!"
"Yes!"
The thugs hurriedly switched targets, rushing past Artoria toward Lin Xi and Huo Yutong.
Mr. Li seized the opportunity to intensify his assault, preventing Artoria from interfering.
For summoning-type Soul Masters, their own bodies were always their greatest vulnerability.
A Soul Master only had so many Soul Skills. The price of a powerful summon was the summoner's own frailty. Under normal circumstances, as long as the Soul Master themselves was subdued, their summon would be helpless even if it possessed abilities that reached the heavens.
Once he understood that, things became simple. He would hold this blonde woman back while his underlings attacked the brat. That would tip the scales of victory completely. With luck, the woman before him might even expose an opening out of concern for that damned brat.
Yet, to his surprise, Artoria did not spare the thugs so much as a glance, as though she did not care what happened to her master.
"Tch." With his calculations falling through, Mr. Li clicked his tongue in displeasure and taunted, "You're a heartless one, aren't you? Or are you too stupid to understand the situation? Your master's about to be in danger, you know."
"Danger?" Artoria raised an eyebrow and casually sent up a gust of sword wind with Invisible Air, blowing the nearby archer into a tree. The corners of her lips curled. "I think you're the one too stupid to understand the situation. What danger?"
"Hm?"
Mr. Li frowned. Artoria's overly relaxed demeanor instinctively unsettled him.
Had he... overlooked something?
He hurriedly tore his gaze away from Artoria and looked toward his two underlings.
But it was already too late. Two screams rang out as his men were actually knocked to the ground by two six-year-old children.
"How... is that possible?"
Mr. Li stared, dumbfounded.
However worthless those men were, they were still Soul Grandmasters!
One brat was a summoner without his summon, and the other was trash with an innate rank of one. How had they managed something like this?
Before he could puzzle it out, a sword edge slicing past his cheek forced him back to his senses. He was still fighting Artoria.
Had he reacted even a moment slower just now, his head would already have been sliced off.
"See? What did I tell you?" A smug smile curved Artoria's lips. "These two children are my students. How could they possibly lose to trash like this!"